What was your 18th birthday like?I don't really remember it, I know I made more money than I had from previous birthdays. The only reason I really remember this, though, was that I spent most all of it on a plane ticket to go and visit some friends cross-country who I'd met in a video game.

How long did it take for you to acknowledge you're an adult now?I guess I'm an adult. I don't feel more mature, or eloquent, or responsible, though. If anything, I just feel a little more impatient and tired all the time. Adulthood really depends on who you're asking, if they're younger than you, you're probably an adult. If they're older, you'll always be a child.

Will/Did you move out immediately? I didn't have to, since I had ran away from home earlier. I was homeless, and working a part time job to pay rent while finishing highschool.

Will/Did you have to act more mature or you already are?That depends on how you look at it. In some ways, yes, but in other ways, no. I still behaved childishly as a survival tactic, but it couldn't be genuine, and work was difficult. So.. I suppose so.

For my 18th birthday I went to a casino. I still don't feel like an adult, and I probably won't for a while. I half moved last year, I wasn't planning to but I decided to take a chance and move 1000 miles away from home to try to find a better life. I'll be moving the rest of my things this summer.

I actually don't remember my 18th birthday, i think i went to a county fair. I didn't actually acknowledge the fact that i was an adult until i left home when i was 19. On the outside I seem mature but to all my friends they always tell me that on the inside I'm actually 10yrs old.

What was it like? Slept in, played video games, went to Red Lobster, went to sleep.

How long did it take you to acknowledge that you're an adult? -- I'll let you know if it happens. (Edit: actually, I won't -- it's not important)

Did you move out immediately? A few months later.

Did you have to act more mature than you already were? I didn't have to, and I didn't choose to. I was as mature as I was, and I'm as mature as I am. "Acting mature" is pretty significant evidence that you're not. Knowledge is the type of thing that you only understand if you have it, and maturity is basically just having an understanding of people, i.e., knowledge. I also don't think it's anything you can really achieve. There's not really a point where you can say -- OK, now I'm "mature" -- it's more of an element of analysis then an actually goal: How mature am I?

Plus, I'm not entirely convinced it has any relevance to, well, anything. When I make a decision, I don't think "what is the mature thing to do?" I think, "what is the best or most reasonable thing to do?" There's really no reason to think that the maturity of an action should tell you whether to do it. If the decision that I deem most reasonable also happens to be the most mature, so be it. I could not care much less though whether it's mature. I'll act as childish as I want if it makes more sense than the alternative.

When I turned 18 I was still a virgin (coincidentally), and the second eldest out of my group of friends so drinking was done at my parents house..and then a sole drink was bought at the local pub for the "Birthday Boy". I drank less than normal, and entertained my friends like I would at any gathering (great home-cooked food, great drinks, plenty tunes)
I didn't feel like I was 18, and haven't really 'aged' since I was 17. (I turn 25 at the end of this year). I just get more jaded and tired each year. I didn't move out straight away - I couldn't afford to for one. I moved out when I was 23 when my parents finally decided to get a divorce (a year on, that's still in the pipeline and I'm looking at my second move...). It's been a new lease on life for me in honesty!
I'm quite a quiet introverted person by nature so that's not such an unexpected Birthday. Last year I barely acknowledged it...workmates made a fuss though. Gits. Gotta love em.

Plus, I'm not entirely convinced it has any relevance to, well, anything. When I make a decision, I don't think "what is the mature thing to do?" I think, "what is the best or most reasonable thing to do?" There's really no reason to think that the maturity of an action should tell you whether to do it. If the decision that I deem most reasonable also happens to be the most mature, so be it. I could not care much less though whether it's mature. I'll act as childish as I want if it makes more sense than the alternative.

As I recall it didn't take me a very long to acknowledge that I had become an adult. I remember going to the post office that very day and requesting a selective service form. Went to the DMV to apply for a state identification card. As for celebration, there was none. I went to a restaurant alone, my own volition to do so. Tried a cigarette afterwards.

My 18th birthday was spent getting dragged to a horrible Chinese buffet. I never really cared for my birthday so I guess that was still much better than having a huge "Debut" party since I had no one to invite anyway and I still refused to wear a dress back then.

I'm already 25 but I still act like I'm 17 because I refuse to grow up. I understand responsibility with having to work and pay rent and bills and stuff, but aside from that, I don't really see myself as a grown-up. I don't care for smoking, drinking, clubbing, partying, or whatever. I like to stay home and read, write, watch anime, or play video games (occasionally). And I still have stuffed animals on my bed as well as posters all over my bedroom walls. If I didn't put my real age and just told everyone I'm only 17, they'd probably believe me.

I believe I was working on my 18th birthday. Nothing special about it. Same with my 21st birthday...I was already drinking if I wanted to anyways (my stepmom helped me out on that).
I moved out when my sister turned 18 (so I was almost 20).

I would say I didn't start really feeling grown up until I got married at 25. Then I had someone else I needed to be responsible for, and wanted to make happy. I think that once you have to live for someone other than yourself, you see the world in a whole different light...and that is when you truly start to mature.

In any rate, my 34th Bday is in a week and I am going camping! Yeehaw!

I went out to eat at the Olive Garden with my parents on my 18th birthday. We planned on gambling after, but when we got there it said they only allowed 21 year olds in. Apparently, the only thing 18-20 year olds can play are the lottery, scratch offs and bingo in Wisconsin. I wish I knew that before we drove there. I was really pissed at the time.